Light commercial vehicles such as panel vans (vans in which the load space is enclosed), typically include a relatively large rear opening closeable by two rear doors hinged to the rear most edge of each side of the van. A primary latch is typically provided partially up the shut-face of one of the rear doors. The primary latch is arranged to latch with a complementary striker provided on the shut face of the other rear door when the doors are closed. The latch may also operate shoot bolts or supplementary latches fitted to the upper and lower edges of the door fitted with the latch where the shoot bolts or supplementary latches are arranged to engage in complementary holes or strikers in the door surround. The shoot bolts or supplementary latches provide additional latching strength to the doors when closed, resist flexing of relatively tall doors during vehicle motion, and resist any attempts to force the latched doors open.
The axes of the two hinges used to mount each door should be co-axially arranged for the hingable mounting to function. The sides of these vans often converge towards the van roof, making it necessary to mount the hinges some distance below the top of the shut-face of each door. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the structural integrity of the rear of the van load space is imparted by the closed rear doors. When the rear doors are open, the roof and side panels of the rear load space may deflect, and the doors may flex. The hinges can also wear over time. These factors may move the rear doors out of alignment, leading to difficulties in aligning the latch with the striker and/or the shoot bolts in the respective holes. This may cause problems in latching the doors.
The deflection of the roof and the side panels of the doors during vehicle motion may lead to rattling caused by play between the latch and the striker. This may increase wear on both the latch and the striker, increasing noise.
There are three types of latches which can be mounted partially up the shut-face to releasably secure a door to the striker mounted on another door or a door surround and to ensure that the striker engages a mouth in a corner of the claw. The latches can be 1) “plant-on,” in which the entire latch mechanism is mounted externally on the door of the door shut-face, 2) “plant-through,” in which the majority of the latch mechanism is mounted within the body of the door, but the claw and its housing protrude through the door of the door shut-face, and 3) “plant-in,” in which the entire latch, including the claw, is mounted within the body of the door and an opening corresponding to the mouth of the latch is provided in the door skin. The striker is able to engage the claw by entering the opening and the mouth.
Arrangements to vertically align latches and strikers are known for plant on and plant through latches, but are not known for plant-in latches.